The Viability of a Crop Insurance Investment Account: The Case for Obion, County, Tennessee

This paper evaluates the feasibility of farmer-owned crop insurance accounts. The accounts, similar to retirement accounts, accumulate pre-subsidy premiums and dispense indemnities. Government involvement is that of guaranteeing loans if indemnities exceed the account balance. Substantial government savings occur through insurance premium subsidy elimination.Crop Production/Industries, Risk and Uncertainty,

Social bonds and genetic ties: Kinship association and affiliation in a community of bonobos (Pan paniscus)

Studies of captive populations of bonobos suggest that females are more gregarious than males. This seems to contradict assumed sex-differences in kinship deriving from a speciestypical dispersal pattern of female exogamy and male philopatry. Here we present data on spatial associations and affiliative relations among members of one wild community (Eyengo) for which genetic relationships were identified by analysing mitochondrial and nuclear DNA. Our data from Lomako confirm the existence of spatial associations among resident females. In addition, they reveal strong social bonds between males and females. While most female-female associations did not last longer than one field season, long-term associations occurred predominantly between mixed-sex dyads and involved both close kin and unrelated individuals. Differences in social grooming appeared to be related to patterns of spatial association rather than to kinship. It is suggested that under natural conditions social organisation of bonobos is characterised by strong inter-sexual bonds. Males may benefit from bonding with females by increased reproductive success via rank acquisition. For females benefits may derive from inclusive fitness and reduced food competition. Preliminary evidence suggests that females also may benefit from protection by resident males against male intruders

Consumer Perceptions of Flatheaded Borer Control Methods

Flatheaded borers are insect pests that cause damage to ornamental and fruit producing plants. This study examines consumers’ willingness to pay for four alternative flatheaded borer control methods across four products. The four products tested included two plants (maple trees, blueberry bushes) and two fruits (apples (3 pounds), blueberries (1 pint)) to ascertain if differences were observed between product categories (plant verses food) and potential product uses for the plant categories (aesthetic vs food producing). The four control methods included a chemical drench, spray, cultivar selection, and cover crop. A no control option was also included. Survey data were collected by the online platform Qualtrics in April 2022 and a total of 1,597 people surveyed across the United States. The data was analyzed in two distinct ways and each analysis had a dedicated chapter. Chapter 1 used a conditional logit model to determine price premiums for blueberries, blueberry bushes, apples, and maple trees by control method. Chapter 2 used a Ward’s Linkage Cluster analysis to identify consumer segments and determined price premiums for blueberries and blueberry bushes

Interorganizational Systems Partnership Effectiveness

Interorganizational systems (IOS) have become a required business practice for many companies with the partner relationship being an important factor in the effectiveness of the IOS. Theestablishment of trust between the partners of an IOS is often mentioned, yet, never examined when IOS research is reported. Using organizational theory as a foundation, this paper takes a macro approach in exploring the nature of the various IOS roles and discusses the significance of uncertainty, trust and communication on these roles. A model of the relationships between IOS role, uncertainty, trust and the choice of communication media is proposed